Blood Coins Exchange and Redemption, the counter read, standing just some ten or so metres away from the counter of Medal Redemption. And unlike the latter, which seemed a little desolate, with only the lazy receptionist lying headfirst on the counter, the former had a small queue of Wanderers lining up to exchange blood coins and resources. Mostly resources.

Unless forced by situation, few if any Wanderers would choose to exchange their personal assets like Oren Stones for Blood Coins. After all, one was a universal currency of the world of Wanderers, while the other could be used only in the Lost City. Maybe he should ask his master for some Oren Stones, or earn some for himself, Alnea thought, as he joined the queue.

Thankfully, the queue was not too long. There were only some seven or eight people ahead of him, and the receptionist, a man in the red robe of the city, did not seem to be interested in wasting time with the people coming to him. He went through the requests of the Wanderers mechanically, giving a red memory crystal to the people who came to him for the first time, asking them to go back and decide what resources to exchange, while fulfilling the requests of those who knew what they needed.

“…I need some crystalised essence of…”

“Forty Blood Coins for a gram…”

“…Two feathers of Red Tailed Swallow, and Twin Tailed Scorpion’s poison sac…”

“Sixty Blood Coins for the feathers, seventy for the poison sac…”

Feathers of a bird which liked to bathe in fire, and a poison sac… Quite an unusual combination of materials. Was the man trying to create a Flame Poison? Or was he going to use the feathers to further refine the poison? Maybe the materials were for two different Glyphs… Or even a Glyph Array… Just like how—

“What do you need?” the Wanderer standing behind the counter asked Alnea, as he stepped in front of the man.

“…A ten year old Red Oak’s bark, half a metre. Adolescent Flame Tongued Mole’s claws, two. Half a metre of Adolescent Fire Eating Rat’s skin. Adolescent Red Tailed Scorpion’s blood, two litres. Ornia’s Tears, two drops. An Adolescent Red Tailed Eagle’s feather…”

Except for a few neutral materials, and some inhibitors, most of the materials Alnea listed were either tainted by Fire, or the carried its power. Not because he was particularly fond of Fire, of course. Although he liked Fire, he was more in awe of other Mysteries. Like those of Time and Space, or the ever elusive Fate. It was just that the only Glyph he had engraved on his Spirit corresponded to the Mysteries of Fire, making materials carrying other elements and Mysteries useless to him.

“Fifty Blood Coins for the bark, twenty for the claws, ten for the rat’s skin, twenty for the rat’s blood, hundred for the tears… Three hundred and seventy Blood Coins in total.”

Nodding in acknowledgement, Alnea handed his Blood Card over to the Wanderer, who placed it on a black box, similar to the ones that the other counters had. Except, the box in front of him had an extra attachment to its side. A flat surface, roughly an inch thick, and a little more than a foot wide on each side. And as the Wanderer worked with the black box, the items that Alnea had chosen kept materialising over the flat surface, hovering about half a foot above the table.

While Alnea was mesmerised by the strange operation of the black box, the Wanderer handling his request grabbed the items hovering in the air before they could fall down, and put them aside, before summoning other items in a similar fashion, until all the items that Alnea had listed out earlier were lined up neatly on the counter.

“There, all done,” the Wanderer said, breaking Alnea away from his thoughts, and handing his Blood Card back to him.

“…Thank you for your help, Wanderer,” Alnea said, bowing slightly to the Wanderer, before quickly putting all the items away in his storage pouch, and walking away from the counter, making way for the people behind him.

“…Two fragments of Red Crystal…”

Giving one last glance to the strange black box, Alnea turned away from the counter, and headed back to his teammates.

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“Sorry to keep everyone waiting.”

“It’s alright,” Vestia said, winking at him with a smile. “Waiting for you is always a pleasure.”

“He was just being polite, you know?” Cecilia said with a scoff. “And I have waited for him much longer than you ever can.”

“Huh. So, he made you wait, but did not keep me waiting… I wonder what that means…”

“It means that we should head back,” Alnea said, as he felt a strange sense of chill climbing up his back. Let alone Cecilia, even Yuri was beginning to glare at him… It was not even his fault. He was just standing there in silence. Why did they always have to drag him into their fights?

“Unless anyone else has things they need to attend to in the Blood Hall… No? Then let’s head back to our mansion,” Alnea said, and walked out of the Blood Hall without waiting for his teammates to respond. Not because he was indulging in his authority as a Captain, but because he simply did not wish to give the girls any chances to create another scene. Especially Vestia and Cecilia. Being a Captain was not going to be easy…

Thankfully, after the scolding that Yuri had given them earlier in the canteen, neither Vestia nor Cecilia seemed to be in interested in going for each other’s throat for the moment. Even Forne seemed to be a little timid for its usual self. Then again, the cat had just had its fill in the Arena about a couple of hours ago. It was only natural for it to be a little lazy for a while.

The dumb cat did not even deign to walk on its own, preferring just simply lay in Cecilia’s arms for the duration of their trip. It was not until they went back into their mansion that the cat finally jumped down from Cecilia’s arms, and spread its limbs while arching its back, as if preparing to grab its favourite cushion. In vain, of course. They had already wasted too much time earlier in the Blood Hall, and there was nothing left for them to discuss anyway. At least not at the moment.

And so, while the dumb cat paced around in the main hall, racing with itself, everyone else went directly to their room. Even Cecilia. She was already used to Forne’s antics, and knew that the cat would come knocking on her door when it was bored. Till then, she could use the silence to focus on more important parts of her training. Like Wandering the Origin Sea, or experimenting with her Arcanas.

Alnea, on the other hand, had his own share of things to worry about. Ignoring the dumb cat, he waved at the girls, and walked into his room, before taking his sword off from his waist and putting it on the rack. An action that he had been repeating for the past couple of weeks. Yet, every time he let his sword leave his side, he could not help feeling a little uneasy. So much so, that as he tried moving towards the cushion in the middle of the room, he almost could not stop his hand from reaching towards his sword.

Then again, anyone who spent more than half a year constantly defending against the sneak attacks of Oren Beasts every time they went to rest would feel vulnerable without their weapons. And if it was a normal day, he might have given in to his instincts, allowing himself to carry his sword by his side. But it was not a normal day. Nearly twenty days after he had first engraved a Glyph onto his Spirit, he was going to try inscribing it in a near semi-permanent state, effectively taking another step forward on the path of Scholars.

Laying down a Glyph, however, was not easy. Especially when done with precious materials rife with volatile energy. He still remembered how just a drop of blood from an Adolescent Reaper mixed with some sap from Crown Ancestor Tree had been enough to lay waste to nearly hundreds of metres of forest. Although the materials he was handling were not as volatile, the room he was in was not as large either. Process those materials with his sword by his side…

Even if he had not inscribed any Glyphs on his sword, being constantly infused with Aspects every day had already begun transforming it on an intrinsic level. Not enough to transform it into an Oren weapon, but enough to let it carry some fluctuations unique his Aspects and Roots. Keeping his sword by his side while laying down the Glyph was indeed not a good idea. Though, if he went by that logic, keeping his dagger by his side was not a good idea either. Even the robe he was wearing, and the storage pouch hanging by his side…

What was he thinking? How was he supposed to take out the materials if he did not keep his storage pouch with him? As for his robe… That was impossible. He did not even wish to think about it. No matter how much interference it would create in his practice, he was not going to take off his robe. The dagger though…

Reluctantly hanging his dagger by the side of his sword, Alnea forcefully tore himself away from his weapons, reminding himself that it was necessary precaution. Just like how, out of precaution, he did not start preparing to inscribe his Glyph immediately. Though he had rid himself of the fluctuations of the Origin Sea—most of the fluctuations of the Origin Sea, he was not ready to practise his Glyphs though. Not yet.

Taking deep breaths, Alnea closed his eyes, and began meditating, adjusting his Heart, subduing all his unnecessary thoughts. Like the cliff he had faced earlier, or the girls’ chests—

Once his Heart was Serene, Alnea exhaled a heavy breath, and opened his eyes, shining with a determined light. He knew that the task lying ahead of him was not going to be easy. Especially since the Glyph he had mastered was of the lineage of Destruction. Such Glyphs tended to be volatile on their own, not to mention when inscribed using volatile materials that might increase their instability. But he was ready.

He was Alnea Oathkeeper, the Captain of Star Seekers. And no one could stop him from chasing after the Star he was Seeking. No one could stop him from completing his Oath and becoming the greatest Wanderer. Not even the Origin Sea.